The Economics of Robotaxis

Developers of autonomous vehicles, specifically those focused on level 4 self-driving vehicles, often focus on mobility services as the first application. Not only is there a demonstrated market for taxis and ride-hailing, but it's a market where the high costs of labor create high prices - making it a ripe opportunity for autonomous vehicle deployment - and are a good technology fit as they can operate in geo-fenced areas. This report analyzes the economics of fleet ownership of autonomous vehicles, finding costs to use these services will likely exceed personal car ownership but be cheaper than conventional taxi or ride-hailing services.